Cauliflower Gratin

Cheesy cauliflower gratin with nutty Gruyere cheese, sautéed leeks, and butter toasted breadcrumb topping!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated October 20, 2022
Elise Bauer
Cauliflower Gratin
Elise Bauer

Cauliflower gratin. How to transform the simplest of vegetables into a creamy cheesy rock star side dish? Cook it into a gratin.

I love cauliflower. I love it raw as a crunchy healthy snack. I love it roasted with crispy browned edges. I love it in a cheddary soup. Or puréed into fake mashed potatoes. Cauliflower has to be one of the world's most adaptable and dress-up-able vegetables.

Cauliflower Gratin
Elise Bauer

No where is cauliflower's haute capabilities more clear than in a gratin. Honestly it's hard to go wrong given that we are smothering lightly steamed cauliflower in a cheesy Gruyere and leek béchamel, and baking it topped with butter toasted fresh breadcrumbs.

It's as if the vegetable wanted to remind us of what she is capable of.

A worthy side to glazed ham, roast beef, brisket, or roast chicken.

Cauliflower Gratin
Elise Bauer

Cauliflower Gratin

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 60 mins
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

  • 1 head cauliflower, cored, broken into bite-sized florets (see How to Cut and Core Cauliflower)

  • 2 medium-small leeks, cleaned, halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/4-in thick slices, white and light green parts only, about 2 cups

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/3 cups milk

  • 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • Black pepper

For the topping

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (3 slices sandwich or rustic bread, pulsed in a food processor)

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Black pepper

Special Equipment

  • Steamer basket

Method

  1. Cook the leeks:

    Melt butter on medium heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add the sliced leeks and gently cook until completely softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.

    cauliflower-gratin-method-1
    Elise Bauer
  2. Lightly steam the cauliflower:

    While the leeks are cooking, place cauliflower florets in a steamer basket in a saucepan over an inch of water. Bring water to a boil, cover, and steam the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes.

    cauliflower-gratin-method-2
    Elise Bauer

    The steaming should just take the rawness out of the cauliflower, but not cook it so much that it is tender. You want the cauliflower at this stage to be al dente. Remove strainer and cauliflower from hot pan and set aside.

  3. Make roux with butter, leeks, flour, add milk:

    Add 2 Tbsp of flour to the leeks and butter. Stir and let cook for a minute or two. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you add it to break up any lumps. Bring to a low simmer and continue to stir as the sauce thickens.

    cauliflower-gratin-method-3
    Elise Bauer
    cauliflower-gratin-method-4
    Elise Bauer
  4. Stir in cheese, thyme, nutmeg, salt:

    Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in 3 ounces of the shredded cheese (reserving the rest of the cheese for the topping), the thyme, nutmeg, and salt.

    cauliflower-gratin-method-5
    Elise Bauer
  5. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  6. Pour sauce over cauliflower in gratin dish:

    Spread a teaspoon of butter over the insides of a 2-quart gratin dish. Place the lightly steamed cauliflower florets in an even layer in the dish. Pour the leek and cheese sauce over the cauliflower. Top with remaining cheese.

    Bake for 25 minutes.

    cauliflower-gratin-method-6
    Elise Bauer
  7. Toast the breadcrumbs:

    While the gratin is baking, melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the fresh breadcrumbs and toast in the melted butter for 4 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a sprinkling of pepper. Remove from heat.

  8. Top the gratin with toasted breadcrumbs and bake:

    After the gratin has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven. Sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs over the top and return to the oven. Bake for 5 more minutes.

    cauliflower-gratin-method-7
    Elise Bauer


Nutrition Facts (per serving)
308 Calories
15g Fat
31g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 308
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 8g 42%
Cholesterol 40mg 13%
Sodium 862mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 44mg 220%
Calcium 339mg 26%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 327mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.